Guide · Process · 4 min read
Document Checklist
From getting your money ready to picking up the keys. Check off each step as you go.
Before the List
A few habits help before you start.
- Put a little aside on a regular schedule. It adds up toward the cash to buy and the cash to close.
- Read your credit report early, so a mistake has time to be fixed.
- Hold off on new credit and big purchases while you get ready.
- A pre-approval shows a range you can shop in. It is not a promise the loan will close.
- Ask about down-payment help. Some cities and states offer it, and each program has its own rules.
- A monthly payment can include principal, interest, taxes, insurance, and an HOA fee. The pieces change with the home.
Do not put a Social Security number or account numbers in a message on this website. Those belong in the secure application, after you choose a loan officer.
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Get Your Money Ready
A little time here makes the later steps easier. You do not need every dollar saved before the first conversation.
Gather Your Records
These papers make a pre-approval faster. Do not send a Social Security number or account numbers through this website.
Ask for a Pre-Approval
A pre-approval looks at income, savings, and credit before you have a contract. It is not a promise the loan will close.
Look at Homes
Stay near the range you discussed. The home, the taxes, and any HOA fee can change the payment.
Make an Offer
The price is one part of the contract. Dates and deposits are part of it too. Read them before you sign.
Get Ready to Close
The last stretch is a few details. A job change, new debt, or a large purchase can reopen the review.
Keep Reading
Process
How Pre-Approval Works
What a pre-approval looks at, and what it does not promise.
Process
From Offer to Keys
The stretch of time after a seller accepts your offer, and why it rarely moves in a straight line.
Process
Why a Loan Officer Lists Licensed States
A license lets that person take a mortgage application in a state. It is not the same as the company's list of states.
A Real Conversation
Ready When You Are.
Talk with a loan officer who is licensed where the home is. Walk through buying, refinancing, or a loan that does not fit a standard file. Start with the directory, or answer a few questions first.